DE 2 014 437 A discloses a saw rope for a rope saw in which single bodies with diamond grit sintered into them are fixed onto a wire rope. The bodies each have an outer surface roughly in the shape of a half cone and each are applied onto one of two strands of the wire rope. The two strands are twisted around each other and the bodies arranged in a staggered way in the circumferential direction.
A conventional shape for cutting elements of a saw rope is that of a hollow cylinder which has been threaded onto a wire rope. As disclosed, for example, in FR 2 328 553 A and WO 2014/013450 A1, in the region of an outer surface the cutting beads comprise diamond dust or diamond splinters, in which way a so-called “geometrically undefined cutting portion” is formed on the cutting bead.
WO 02/04160 A1 discloses a saw rope for a rope saw with a rope and several cutting beads. The cutting beads have a cutting portion with diamonds and a support/cutting portion. The support/cutting portion is comprised of the same material as a support portion of the cutting bead, especially steel. The support/cutting portion may also be made of a harder material, especially sintered tungsten carbide or sintered ceramic material. The cutting portion with diamonds and the support/cutting portion cooperate when cutting a stone material. The diameter of the cutting portion equals the diameter of the support/cutting portion or is larger than this. According to the figures of WO 02/04160 A1, the cutting portion has a substantially cylindrical shape.
A similar support portion that is flush with the surface of a cutting portion is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,847,569 B. The support portion is cylindrical in the region of the surface facing the material which is to be cut. The support portion is a portion of a main body of the cutting bead made of metal, onto which the cutting portion has been applied.
DE 10 2010 021 959 A1 (corresponding to EP 2 390 035 A1) discloses a saw rope with cutting beads, especially for sawing soft workpieces of insulating matter, soft fibre matter or polystyrene foam. The single cutting beads comprise a so-called “geometrically defined cutting portion”, where the entire cutting beads including the geometrically defined cutting portion are made of steel and comprise a hardened surface. The geometrically defined cutting portion tapers contrary to the direction of movement of the saw rope according to the designated use with a wedge angle, which for example may be 20°.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,696,228 A discloses a cutting bead for a saw rope for cutting wood, where the cutting bead is made of steel or a special alloy. The cutting bead comprises a geometrically defined cutting portion and tapers contrary to a direction of movement of the cutting bead according to designated use, where a clearance angle of 5-10° is preferred.
DE 43 06 273 A1 discloses a saw wire which comprises thickenings due to longitudinal compressions, which form cutting edges that can be hardened, tempered or ground.
Cutting beads for saw ropes with geometrically undefined cutting portions are known from EP 0 317 965 B1, AT 003 424 U1 and DE 40 38 480 A1 (corresponding to EP 0 489 356 A1).